Nintendo legend Shigeru Miyamoto has opened up about one of the most debated entries in The Legend of Zelda series, admitting that Zelda II: The Adventure of Link didn’t turn out the way the team had hoped.

According to Miyamoto, the NES sequel strayed too far from the original game’s core design philosophy. While the first Zelda focused heavily on exploration and freedom, Zelda II introduced side-scrolling gameplay, RPG mechanics and a much more action-heavy structure — features that divided players then and still do today.

Miyamoto now considers The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past for the Super Nintendo to be the “real” continuation of the original formula. The 1991 classic returned to a top-down perspective and expanded on the exploration-driven gameplay that would go on to define the franchise for decades.

Despite Zelda II remaining one of the most unusual entries in the series, it has gained something of a cult following over the years thanks to its difficulty, experimental mechanics and darker tone. Still, Miyamoto’s comments reinforce the idea that Nintendo itself viewed A Link to the Past as the direction the franchise was always meant to follow.

With Nintendo continuing to revisit its legacy through remasters, Switch Online releases and new Zelda projects, the discussion around Zelda II’s place in the series is likely far from over.

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